Poor quality pine nuts leave a bad taste in the mouth

August 16th, 2011

Complaints have been rolling in across the country about a bitter metallic after taste caused by the consumption of pine nuts, with symptoms lasting up to two weeks in some cases.

Though a spokesperson from the Food Standards Agency has said the effect is harmless and will hopefully disappear after a few days, they are still urging consumers to report any new cases along with details of where you purchased the product, batch details and the length and severity of symptoms.

‘This will enable us to accurately assess the extent of the problem. This information will then be passed on to to the Food Standards Agency.’

Tests on the nuts have revealed no chemical differences between pine nuts which do cause the reaction and pine nuts which do not and there is speculation that the effects could be a form of allergic reaction.

Recommended home remedies include drinking liquid aloe vera and taking charcoal tablets and research is continuing into why some individuals experience the symptoms and others do not, despite eating from the same batch of nuts.